Ever wondered why it seems everyone and their dog is moving to San Antonio? It’s not our annual grackle invasion, our tourist spots or our year-round humid heat. Instead, it might be our low cost of living, which beats out every other major Texas city. But, how much do you really need to make to live comfortably in San Antonio?
What is the living wage in San Antonio?
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) considers a living wage to be the income “an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and/or their family, working full-time, or 2,080 hours per year.” Their calculator takes in a plethora of factors, such as the number of adults in a household (and how many are working), as well as children. Additionally, it shows how food, childcare, medical, housing, transportation, utilities, taxes and other expenses play into the final figure.
So really, a living wage depends on the household.
For a single-income, childless adult in San Antonio, you’ll need to make $21.14 per hour to come up with a living wage. $7.52 — just cents above the federal (and state) minimum wage of $7.25 — would be considered the poverty wage. For two childless adults with one working, the living wage is $29.41 per hour, and the poverty wage is $10.17. That number starts to tick up when you add children, as the same worker with one child would need to make $35.25 per hour, and the poverty wage goes up to $12.81. However, if two adults work, each will only need to bring in $20.11 per hour…